Cold as Ice
by BlackFox12
Summary: After his daughter slips into a coma, a man starts hunting the wolves, believing that with them gone, his daughter will come back. In fact, her spirit has left her body – but only one person can hear her screaming...
1. Prologue

**Cold as Ice**

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Wolf's Rain and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the books or anime series, I probably own. Anything you recognise from another fandom, I probably don't own

**Summary:** After his daughter slips into a coma, a man starts hunting the wolves, believing that with them gone, his daughter will come back. In fact, her spirit has left her body – but only one person can hear her screaming...

**Warning(s):** Spoilers for the entire series of Wolf's Rain; original characters; strong violence; spanking (eventually)

**Author's Note:** Sorry that this is so short. The next chapter should – hopefully – be longer. Enjoy!

* * *

Miku collapsed in the snow, shivering violently, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to stay warm – but it was futile. She could see the lights of Freeze City – but they might as well have been a million miles away. She simply couldn't continue walking anymore.

Slowly, Miku's shivering stopped. The cold disappeared, to be replaced by a feeling of drowsy warmth. Getting home no longer seemed to be as important. She could quite easily just lie there and let herself drift into sleep...

A part of her thought that this was probably a bad thing. She tried to push herself up, but just collapsed again. The snow seemed to be a warm, comforting blanket; and she thought she could feel gentle arms wrap around her, cradling her gently.

Something seemed to be moving at the edge of her vision. Miku didn't have the strength to turn her head in that direction, but a moment later, she felt something lie down next to her. A prickling sensation started in her fingers, and she clenched them, feeling the snow slide through her hands... like cotton wool.

_You need to get up._

Miku didn't know whether the voice came from inside her head or somewhere outside. Whimpering softly, she tried to curl up, not wanting to move; to have to listen to the voice. But the cold was beginning to seep into her again – apart from her side, where something warm and covered in fur was lying.

"Get away from her!"

The warmth abruptly disappeared. With effort, Miku lifted her head in time to see a dog bounding away, in the opposite direction to her father – who was holding a gun aimed at it. No... She could see better now. It wasn't a dog at all.

It was a wolf.

As Miku finally lost consciousness, it occurred to her that what she'd just seen was impossible.


	2. Chapter One

**Cold as Ice**

**Chapter One**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Wolf's Rain and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the books or anime series, I probably own. Anything you recognise from another fandom, I probably don't own

**Summary:** After his daughter slips into a coma, a man starts hunting the wolves, believing that with them gone, his daughter will come back. In fact, her spirit has left her body – but only one person can hear her screaming...

**Warning(s):** Spoilers for the entire series of Wolf's Rain; original characters; strong violence; spanking (eventually)

* * *

Miku looked around in confusion. She was standing on a busy sidewalk, with no idea of how she'd even got there. People were pushing past her, but no one seemed to have the time to even make a quick apology.

Was this normal? Miku's head felt almost musty; and her memories were cloudy. The last thing she clearly remembered was being lost outside Freeze City – and there being a wolf – but what had happened after that? It was difficult to remember even the most basic things, like how to get back home. It was a struggle to even remember her own name – and that was something she shouldn't have any trouble with.

"What's going on?!"

"It looks like a big dog!"

"A dog?! If I didn't know better, I'd say it was a wolf!"

There were more people pushing past Miku now. But they seemed to be running from something. It wasn't the blind panic – not yet – but Miku guessed that wasn't far away. The fright was infectious – but she couldn't just ignore what was happening. After all, her last clear memory involved a wolf. She didn't have to get close to the animal.

It wasn't that difficult to push her way through the crowd. There were only a few people who were running in fear – which meant that she got to the place where all of the commotion was quite quickly. However, it wasn't fast enough to get more than a glimpse of what had happened. The body of a white canine – which was probably a dog – was being taken away by some very official-looking people. Miku thought she saw an old man with a dog, but it was only a glimpse – and she wasn't sure he was involved.

As Miku turned away, it occurred to her that she didn't necessarily have anywhere else to go. Was it an after-effect of hypothermia, this memory loss? And what was she doing out on the streets? Without knowing where home was, the only lead she had was the wolf.

Even though they weren't supposed to exist anymore.

"Oh, damn," Miku muttered, suddenly realising that, while she'd been deciding what to do, they'd gone. All right, she wouldn't have been able to follow the vehicle anyway – but now she had no idea of which direction it was likely to have gone in. "Let's see..." she muttered, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "They looked more like scientists than police officers. So that means..." Damn it! Why was she having so much trouble remembering things? She must have known before...

Miku closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She wasn't going to remember anything if she panicked. The place was there – at the edge of her mind. She just had to concentrate...

There! A big building – she didn't know what its name was, but there were steps leading up to it. But how could she get inside? Miku had the feeling that she wouldn't just be able to walk in the front entrance. Maybe she could pretend to be a cleaner or something similar...

Miku glanced around, hoping that no one had noticed her strange behaviour. It didn't look like anyone had, which was something of a relief. At least she now had some idea of where to go... But what if the canine turned out to simply be a rabid dog? She would have completely wasted her time.

But there wasn't much of a choice...

As she turned to leave, Miku thought she saw a brown dog, looking around searchingly. She blinked, and it was a boy; maybe a little older than her. As she watched, he raised his head and sniffed the air, then turned and seemed to... jump – but higher than any normal person would be able to.

What had she managed to get herself into?

* * *

Cheza's eyes opened as she scented blood... wolf's blood. She didn't move apart from that, though. The sounds she could hear were muffled – but that was likely because of the water she was in. It was that she needed to survive. Water... and moonlight.

But she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the moon. So now, she merely existed – sleeping and gathering her strength; waiting.

Now, it seemed the wait was nearly over.

Cheza could smell him... the wolf. His scent was familiar to her – this was what she'd been waiting for. It wouldn't be long now, before her purpose could finally be fulfilled. _He_ was here.

And the others. The others, too, would come.

"_Who are you?"_

Cheza didn't react to the voice – not outwardly, at least. But it was clearer, sharper, than the other voices. As if the owner of the voice was in the water with her. But there was no way Cheza could know that for sure, since she couldn't see anything.

"_Can you hear me? I need to... No one's responding to my presence. I know I'm here – and I have to be alive. But... Do you know what's going on? Please tell me."_

Cheza didn't have the strength to move. If she could have, she would have told the voice to find the wolves – and then she'd find answers. But speaking was impossible. So she kept silent, knowing that it wasn't time yet; that she had to keep waiting.

But it wouldn't be much longer.

* * *

Miku took a step back from the glass cage filled with water and the strange girl. She had no idea what was going on here. No one had challenged her as she came inside. If she didn't know better, she would have said that no one could see her.

But that wasn't possible... was it?

Then again, Miku was staring right at one of the scientists – and the woman didn't even seem to notice her, just looked straight through her... as if she wasn't even there. Wanting to get a reaction, _any_ reaction, she waved frantically, and then pulled a face. "Hey! Look at me!" she exclaimed.

Still, there was no response. No one so much as glanced in her direction.

Miku started backing away, her eyes darting around. She clenched her fists at her sides, struggling to keep from panicking. A soft whimper escaped her, and she clamped her lips tightly, trying to stop any more sounds from getting out. As she continued to back away, she thought she heard someone mention the dog. She turned her attention to a female scientist, and a man who looked like a detective or something similar.

After listening to their conversation for a few moments, Miku started moving over towards one of the far doors. If she'd heard right, the dog had been taken to a cage through that door. Maybe she'd be able to get some answers if she found the wolf who had tried to warm her...

When she got to the door – which was closed – Miku reached out to open the door. However, she couldn't get a proper grip on the handle. When she went to punch the door in frustration, her hand just went right through it.

Miku yelped, and took a step back, staring at the door, her heart thumping painfully. Slowly, she reached out, just letting her fingertips slip through what should have been solid. This... It wasn't true. It _couldn't_ be true. She had to be dreaming. That was it... She'd fainted after getting caught out in the snow. There was no other possible explanation. It was the only one which made any kind of sense.

Because... she couldn't be _dead_.

Either way, Miku figured she might as well investigate this strange dream. After all, she couldn't be harmed here. But why wasn't she dreaming of somewhere nice? Like with lots of flowers – rather than Freeze City, where hardly anything grew; and certainly not without being smothered.

After taking a deep breath, Miku squeezed her eyes shut and stepped forward, cringing a little as she did so. Finally, she opened her eyes, to find herself in another room. There was a white dog lying in a cage, and the boy she had seen before was crouched in front of it. Then, her vision seemed to shimmer... and there was a canine in the boy's place. No... It was a boy again. What was happening?

As Miku watched, the dog in the cage started gnawing on the bars. Within moments, it had bent them enough to get out. Once it had got out, it was no longer a canine... but another boy. Miku took a step back, even though neither of them seemed to be aware of her presence. Wolves... existed... but they could look like humans? That was impossible, even in a dream... wasn't it?

But Miku was no longer as convinced that she was dreaming.

The boy with the collar around his neck suddenly paused, sniffing the air, and then glanced around, frowning. "Hey... do you smell that?" he asked the other. "It's like there's someone else here."


	3. Chapter Two

**Cold as Ice**

**Chapter Two**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Wolf's Rain and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the books or anime series, I probably own. Anything you recognise from another fandom, I probably don't own

**Summary:** After his daughter slips into a coma, a man starts hunting the wolves, believing that with them gone, his daughter will come back. In fact, her spirit has left her body – but only one person can hear her screaming...

**Warning(s):** Spoilers for the entire series of Wolf's Rain; original characters; strong violence; probable AU

* * *

Kiba glanced at Hige as the other wolf spoke. "I don't smell anything," he said. "Can we just get out of here?" He was impatient to leave, since he'd finally decided to gnaw his way out of the cage. Besides – though he wasn't about to mention it out loud – he was still a little sore from the fight with Tsume.

He really needed to get to the moonlight. But first, he needed to find out where the flower maiden was. Actually, no – what he needed before anything else was rest; and food.

"I guess you're right." Hige continued to frown, though, sniffing the air a few more times. "Maybe it's just a lingering scent from those scientists." He didn't sound too sure of that, though. "Anyway, it's not like we're being attacked or anything. Besides, I'm hungry," he added. "Do you want to go and get something to eat? I'll treat."

"Depends on what it is," Kiba replied, heading towards the door.

"We need some kind of distraction," Hige commented, following him. "Even humans will get suspicious if two guys walk out of a room where there was only one and a big dog."

* * *

"I feel like I should be insulted by that," Miku muttered, as she followed the boys – wolves – out of the building. They made it past the scientists without any problems, though Miku still tensed up a little; despite knowing that no one could see her, and having convinced herself that she was merely dreaming.

It still wasn't a normal dream.

Miku was about to follow the wolves – since they seemed to have some connection to what had happened outside the city – but she had a strange feeling. It was like there was somewhere she had to be; as if she was being pulled somewhere.

Maybe this would give her more answers.

Miku left the wolves behind and found herself being drawn in a completely different direction, one which she couldn't remember going in before. She walked down an alleyway, which widened into an area which contained a building. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about the building, and Miku could see a number of people going in and out. She briefly wondered if she was even in the right place.

But she felt like she was being drawn into the building. Miku didn't hesitate for long, before making her way quickly to the entrance. The door was shut, but Miku simply closed her eyes and stepped through.

The inside of the building looked like a hospital. But if that was what it was, why couldn't Miku see any signs for it? She wasn't given much of a chance to dwell on that, though, as the pulling sensation only got stronger. It felt like she was being dragged along the floor, and was worried that she might end up falling over.

But she couldn't stop the feeling.

The feeling suddenly weakened as she got to a door, and Miku fell, automatically putting her arms out to support her, even though the fall didn't actually hurt. At least no one could see her...

Miku slowly pushed herself up, feeling a bit flushed. She glanced around sheepishly, then looked at the door she'd been led to. It was closed – big surprise there. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, still unable to get rid of the fear of getting stuck. Then, she stepped forward, only opening her eyes again when she was sure that she'd got safely through the door.

There was a person lying on the bed, hooked up to a life support machine with various wires, and with a breath mask over her face. When Miku moved closer, she gasped, recognising the girl on the bed.

It was her.

Miku stared, her eyes wide. "What? How is this possible?" She wasn't sure any longer that this was a dream, and slowly reached out to touch the face with fingers which trembled slightly.

Unlike everything else she'd tried to touch, Miku found that her hand didn't go through the body's face. It was a strange feeling, to be touching her own skin. She half-expected to feel the touch on her face, but it was like she wasn't even connected to her body. She didn't understand, though... How could she touch her own face, but have her hand go through everything else?

Miku was seriously beginning to reconsider her idea that it was merely a dream. Something like this just wasn't the sort of thing she'd be able to make up. What was the saying? Truth was stranger than fiction?

Clearly, she'd somehow been thrown out of her body.

"I wonder if I can get back in," Miku muttered. She grasped the body's hand, and squeezed her eyes shut, trying desperately to force herself back inside.

It didn't work.

After a few more tries, Miku finally gave up. She was tempted to get on top of her body and force herself in that way, but decided that might be more likely to cause some serious damage than anything else.

It looked very much like her only hope lay with the wolves. It was a pity she couldn't even remember what colour fur the other one had. And how could she _do_ anything if no one could see or hear her? Maybe it made more sense – in the long run – to just stay here in the building and wait and see if she would eventually be able to get back into her body.

The sound of the door opening behind her made Miku jump. She turned round, blinking as she saw her father entering the room. He closed the door softly behind him, and walked over to sit down on the chair next to her bed.

"Dad? Can you hear me?" Miku moved closer to him, waving her hand in front of his face. "Dad?" Despite how tempting it was, she didn't scream when he seemed unable to hear her. In some ways, she'd expected it – but it still frustrated her. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyelids as she stared at him. How long had she been in a coma for? He looked so old now... and heartsick.

"I'm so sorry, Miku." Her father reached for the hand of the girl on the bed and held it tightly, looking like he wanted to cry – but there were no more tears. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I want you to know that what I'm doing now is to bring you back to me. The wolves did this to you..."

What? Miku took a step towards her father. "What have you been doing?" she whispered, even knowing that there was no way he could hear her. There was a sinking feeling in her chest.

"They told me that they could bring you back, if I hunted the wolves for them." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I've come here to say goodbye to you, Miku. I don't know when I'll be able to see you again. But they've promised that they'll take good care of you, until I return."

Miku felt cold all over as she stared at her father. Surely... he couldn't be saying what she thought he was. The wolves hadn't done anything to her – the one from before had been trying to keep her warm. Didn't he see that? Couldn't he understand that she hadn't been in any danger?

He was going to kill creatures that couldn't help their nature?

Miku couldn't hear the rest of what her father was saying above the roaring in her ears. She stepped nearer to the bed, staring down at her pale face. Maybe she was dead – and all the machines were doing was prolonging the inevitable. But she couldn't just wait here in case there was a way of getting back into her body. She had to find some way of getting through to her father and telling him the truth. Failing that, she had to find a way of warning the wolves to watch their backs.

As Miku stared down at her body, she saw an amulet around her neck. It was on a plain cord, set with an amber stone directly in the centre. The stone drew her just as much as her body had. Slowly, she reached out, almost pulling back when her fingers touched the cord. But she carefully lifted it up, and tucked it into her pocket. If she could touch it, maybe it would be able to help her in some way.

She _couldn't_ believe that it was hopeless.

* * *

Miku didn't know how long she had stood there for, watching her father, before he finally stood up. After dropping a kiss onto her forehead, he took a deep breath and walked out of the room. Miku followed him, but went back through the alleyway once they'd left the hospital. Since she couldn't find a way of getting through to her father, her only hope was to try and reach the wolves.

Maybe it was simply wishful thinking, but Miku was sure that the girl in the water had reacted a little when Miku had tried talking to her.

There was a pull similar to the one that had drawn her to her body, but not as strong. Miku allowed her mind to drift as she followed the pull – but she came back to herself sharply as she found herself in the room with the glass cage in.

There was a man – with one eye covered – getting the girl out of the cage. As Miku watched, the girl started coughing – but the man injected her with something, and she went limp. As he picked her up, he seemed to look straight at Miku.

Miku backed away, only then noticing the female scientist lying on the floor. The man didn't react to her presence, simply hurried out of the door. As Miku bent down to check on the woman, she noticed that the water was spreading all over the floor.


	4. Chapter Three

**Cold as Ice**

**Chapter Three**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Wolf's Rain and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the books or anime series, I probably own. Anything you recognise from another fandom, I probably don't own

**Summary:** After his daughter slips into a coma, a man starts hunting the wolves, believing that with them gone, his daughter will come back. In fact, her spirit has left her body – but only one person can hear her screaming...

**Warning(s):** Spoilers for the entire series of Wolf's Rain; original characters; strong violence; probable AU

**Author's Note:** Don't worry, this will diverge from the main storyline soon; probably in the next chapter, or the chapter afterwards

* * *

By the time it occurred to Miku to try and find the wolves again, most of the mess had been cleaned up; and she had no idea of where to go. She wondered if she should try to find her father again, in the hopes that he would lead her to the people who had persuaded him to hunt the wolves. But she dismissed that idea almost as quickly as it came. Her father would be more likely to leave straight away.

But how could she find the wolves? Or indeed that girl who had been taken from the laboratory?

As she headed down the steps, Miku slipped her hand into her pocket, feeling strangely relieved to find that the necklace was still there. She found herself moving, though there certainly wasn't the same strange pull as before. Still, _something_ seemed to be guiding her steps. She could almost believe in fate – or destiny – after everything that had happened.

But why was this happening? And why was it happening to _her_?

Miku hesitated as she found herself approaching the border of Freeze City. The memories of getting trapped outside the city were still vivid inside her mind. However, ahead of her, she could see the two boys from before. They'd been joined by two others; but she could also see two men pursuing them.

Not giving herself the chance to dwell on it, Miku found herself running. She passed the two men – who couldn't see her – and got to the border just as the wolves started leaping down into the snow. She hesitated, glancing back over her shoulder.

But if she could go through doors and not get stuck, a fall – even from this height – wouldn't hurt her.

Miku closed her eyes, and stepped off the edge. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in the snow next to the wolves – though she couldn't feel any cold.

She couldn't feel anything.

Miku glanced up at the cliff, noticing that the two men had paused, clearly unwilling to follow. When she turned back to the wolves, she saw that the human illusions had disappeared; and the wolves were showing their true forms as they padded across the snow. With one last look at her home, Miku sped up her steps, managing to keep up with the wolves without difficulty.

* * *

As they rested in the cave, Miku sat by the entrance, her hands clasped around her knees. In some ways, she was glad that no one could see or hear her. By all accounts, wolves were vicious, dangerous animals; which was why they'd been hunted, and still were. She still didn't know why she'd chosen to follow them out of the city. But she was here now; so she might as well make the best of it.

Several times, Hige paused and sniffed the air, glancing in the direction Miku was sitting in. Each time he did that, Miku stiffened, fully expecting him to be able to see her. Why could he only smell her?

Though... perhaps it was simply that they had a more powerful sense of smell than humans.

Miku let her attention drift as the wolves talked about being hungry. Or, rather, Hige and Toboe talked about being hungry; Tsume and Kiba just listened... or ignored them. Miku didn't start paying attention again until Tsume stormed out of the cave, closely followed by Toboe.

Miku blinked, pushing some hair back out of her eyes. "Huh? What did I miss?" She glanced at Hige and Kiba, but didn't get any clues from either of them. Leaning forward, she waved a hand in front of Hige's face. "Hello? You've been able to scent me... Surely _you_ can hear me?"

But there was no response.

Miku sighed and curled up a little, pillowing her cheek on her arms. It was strange that she could feel tired, but not feel any cold. Hopefully, she would be able to wake up if anything happened; but really, she was too tired to care if the wolves did leave and she couldn't find them again.

Within moments, Miku slipped into sleep.

* * *

It was a howl that woke Miku up again. She jerked upright, looking around wildly, her heart pounding; and narrowly avoided hitting her head on the cave wall. She pushed herself up and glanced around in confusion, spotting the two wolves just as they disappeared out of the cave. "Huh?" she mumbled, before remembering that she was supposed to be staying with the wolves.

Miku started running after the two wolves – but by the time she caught up to them, they'd already joined the other wolves; and all she could do was watch helplessly as they fought the weird mechanical robot. Hearing a noise behind her, though, she turned; and saw her father standing there, his gun aimed at the wolves.

Flinching, Miku backed away, glancing briefly behind her. She'd never seen her father like this before...

Miku slipped her hand into her pocket, closing her fingers around the amulet. As her father cocked the gun, she squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated as hard as she could. "STOP IT!"

Her father flinched, almost dropping the gun. "Miku...?" He looked around, but clearly couldn't see his daughter.

What had just happened? Miku didn't dwell on it as she turned, and started after the wolves, who may have noticed her father, since they were quickly disappearing from view. Still, once again, she was able to catch up to them without much difficulty. As she walked with the wolves, she wondered what had just happened.

It seemed like her father had been able to hear her, but not see her. It had only been for a moment, though. What had been the catalyst? Wait... Hadn't she been touching the amulet when it had happened? Could that have triggered the... whatever it was? Miku slipped her hand into her pocket again, but hesitated against actually touching the amulet. What if it worked? Would the wolves attack her?

Slowly, Miku took her hand out of her pocket again. She didn't want to risk it, even if the wolves seemed harmless enough to someone who wasn't a threat. She might want to know where they were going, but not well enough to risk trying to ask. Not yet, at least. How could she know that they wouldn't harm her?

So, as eager as she was to talk to someone – _anyone_ – Miku decided to stay safe; and not risk trying to get them to hear her.

* * *

"_The technology in this amulet is quite powerful."_

_The people talking had the look of scientists – or perhaps doctors. At least, they were wearing white coats. The speaker was holding the amulet Miku had found around her body's neck. He wasn't looking at the other scientist, but down at the necklace as he traced his fingertips over the stone._

"_It's powerful – but it causes a strain each time it's used," the other scientist commented. "It won't be long before the spirit wears out completely."_

"_By the time that happens, this will all be over."_

* * *

Miku slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times. They'd come to a town the previous day, and come close to getting into a fight; but it hadn't happened, and the wolves had paused to rest, after meeting an older wolf. Miku glanced around, noticing that Kiba was missing – but the other three seemed to be getting ready to move on.

It was strange how she always seemed to wake up at just the right moment.

Hige was saying something about finding food, and Miku had to smile in spite of herself. It amused her that Hige always seemed to be thinking of his stomach, even though Kiba had said that wolves could survive on moonlight. Miku was rather relieved by the fact that she didn't need to eat.

But what about when she woke up? Would she be really hungry then, given how much she'd been doing?

Miku followed the wolves as they made their way to the waterfront, where another wolf had said there was food. She hung back, though, as they leaned over the top of the bridge to look down. When she saw the way the wolves reacted, she stepped over to the side as well and looked down; then gasped and recoiled back sharply in horror.

Humans were driving wolves pulling carriages, hitting them with whips and shouting at them.


	5. Chapter Four

****

Cold as Ice

**Chapter Four**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Wolf's Rain and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the books or anime series, I probably own. Anything you recognise from another fandom, I probably don't own

**Summary:** After his daughter slips into a coma, a man starts hunting the wolves, believing that with them gone, his daughter will come back. In fact, her spirit has left her body – but only one person can hear her screaming...

**Warning(s):** Spoilers for the entire series of Wolf's Rain; original characters; strong violence; probable AU

**Pairings:** Eventual Tsume/Miku/Toboe (if I can ever get over the fact that my brain wants to write a threesome --); possible Kiba/Cheza and Hige/Blue

**Author's Note:** Oh, well. So much for not doing much updating. I hope people enjoy this, since the story doesn't seem to be ready to be paused yet. Also, this is the chapter where things divert from what happened in the series. Sorry that it's kind of short

* * *

When the white wolf – no, Kiba – started to attack the humans, Miku had to look away. The violence sickened her; but though she could close her eyes, there was no way she could block out the sound. However, after a few moments, Miku realised she couldn't hear the expected sound of people being torn apart. Slowly, she opened her eyes; and paused as she saw Kiba being held by one of the wolves they'd met before. He was speaking to the humans, but Miku's attention was still drawn to the ancient wolf.

Such a terrible waste... Why put up with this cruelty?

Of course. They needed to survive. Kiba clearly didn't need to eat as much, but Miku could see how hungry Toboe and Hige got. She could see that working for food made sense, but still...

Miku was startled to realise that she was crying. Slowly, she touched the moisture trickling down her cheeks. She hadn't cried when she'd realised what had happened to her... Why were the tears coming for wolves?

Kiba had reacted to the old wolf being killed by the humans. It had clearly goaded him into action, which Miku knew was something a lot of _her_ kind wouldn't do.

Protection of others... inspired to act after seeing cruelty. Miku shook her head. It was incredibly strange to see a wolf react like that, when she knew that most humans would ignore something bad that was happening right in front of them.

"That was foolish."

Miku found her gaze drawn to Tsume. Foolish? Perhaps... But she'd seen his face. Maybe – once – Tsume would have been that foolish.

Or maybe not. Still, Miku was sure the older wolf must have been affected by the sight.

As Miku turned away, she thought she saw someone staring at them. She felt a cold finger of fear trace down her spine as she saw the look on his face. Who was he? There was something familiar about him, and – as impossible as it seemed – Miku felt that he was looking right at her. She put her hand into her pocket and lightly touched the chain, but not the stone itself. She couldn't be seen or heard – only scented. But something told her that the man meant nothing but harm.

Slowly, the man lifted his hand, and fluttered his fingertips in Miku's direction. The girl jerked back a step, pulling her hand out of her pocket. "No..." she whispered, before turning and fleeing.

* * *

Despite his best efforts, Toboe couldn't keep up with Hige very easily. He got there in time to see the other wolves take his friend, but couldn't do anything to stop them. He hesitated, torn between following the wolves and going back to Tsume and Kiba and telling them what had happened. But what could he do on his own? He had to get help.

Even as Toboe started to back away, though, he felt someone grab him from behind. Letting out a yelp, he started struggling, trying to bite, as the human illusion faded, allowing his true form to erupt, snapping and snarling.

Behind him, someone cursed – but they still held on tightly. Toboe began to fight even more, his eyes darting around restlessly; searching for someone to help him. But there was no one around. Desperate now, he threw his head back and howled long and loud.

Almost before the howl had died away, Toboe felt a sharp pain. Abruptly, he slumped, as the world around him faded away.


End file.
